I thought I was going to hate this book, and for the first few chapters I did. I had a hard time with the present-day sections of the book. Even right after I finished the book, I wasn't quite sure how much I liked it.

In the weeks after I read the book I just couldn't stop thinking about it. Really, I think that Stegner gives us the most accurate and thought-provoking portrayal of the modern woman that I have seen out of a male writer.

The main character in this book is essentially a working mother (which obviously was very uncommon at the time) who not only is expected to fulfill the traditional responsibilities of motherhood, but who also financially supports her family for a great deal of her life. She has difficulty striking a balance between her own needs and the needs of her family. But perhaps more importantly, she spends her life torn between the life and family she has (and arguably loves) and having a life and family that her friends will admire. I would argue that she (and those around her) would be a lot more happy if she thought less about what everyone thought of her and lived the life that she wanted to live.

I guess that despite this character's rather significant flaws, I felt that I identified a lot with her struggles.